taki-sensei
by winmkcanivadfan
Summary: Hibike Euphonium fanfic. Japan is conquered by a "superior" race from an alternate dimension; Taki-sensei protects his surviving students with everything he has, becoming much more than just a teacher. Relationships: Reina & Taki (in a father-daughterish way, NOT romantic), tiny bit of Reina/Kumiko. Warnings: violence, rape, cheesiness. Written in a weird script-like format.
1. Chapter 1

the world as we know it is taken over by our parallel species from an alternate universe  
it regards itself as superior to us because of their advanced military technology and uniformly attractive features

they refer to themselves as "firsts"

and earthlings as "thirds."

there was no war  
only a massive invasion of east asia  
homes were raided  
rebels were put down  
the elderly and disabled were exterminated  
anyone who resisted was killed.

millions of people died.

the able-bodied middle-aged men and women are used as slave labor  
the children are imprisoned in their own schools  
which become centers of not learning but indoctrination  
in the wealthier schools, first dimension children are taught alongside third dimension children  
as the firsts begin to move in  
take over  
and call the earth home.

* * *

"they are perfect."

"this... kitauji high school band?"

"they fit our dual purpose. the King will be pleased with their music, and the children are just the right age for... his tastes."

"taking these children before the invasion will save us the need to collect an adult orchestra that would be of greater use in the third workforce."

"there may not be enough surviving third members of the band for this to work!"

"we will fill in the dead with our own, and inform the King which are which."

"but we must ensure that the children's music is as pleasing as their bodies..."

"that is simple. keep the third that teaches them now. the workforce can spare one third to please the King."

"the third in question has a family. are they of use?"

"are his children school aged?

"no."

"kill them and his woman with the rest. there will be other ways to threaten a third. what is his name?"

"taki noboru."

"mark him down."

* * *

early this morning he had gone to work

arrived in his office to take care of paperwork

taught his first period

ate his lunch with michie matsumoto

stayed after school to rehearse the band club

then finally he'd went home

kissed takara

watched some tv with her while yuki colored and kouki made a mess of crayons on the floor

they had made plans for what they would do after putting the kids to bed

but the tv had suddenly begun beeping

reciting a calm warning from the government

and their world had turned upside down.

they had huddled together in the attic while explosions thundered in the distance

he had hugged his precious children tightly

while takara's gentle hand closed their little eyes

and her soft voice shushed them into silence

they had heard screaming on their own streets

boots stamping in their own house

he remembers banging and screaming

he remembers staring down the barrel of a gun

then he remembers only darkness.

he had woken up in a drugged stupor to the stench of sweat and blood

to shouting and cursing and fighting

while he lay on a metal floor which rattled and shook.

when they had finally been unloaded from the packed cargo train

herded into a fenced enclosure like cattle

he had heard his name called

he climbed unsteadily to his feet

his vision still blurred by drugs

he had no idea how he'd gotten there or where he was

they had called his name again on the megaphone

"TAKI NOBORU!"

he'd turned himself in

he wasn't sure what else to do

they had chained his hands and thrown him in a truck

he didn't know how long they drove

he wasn't conscious the entire time

but when the truck had finally stopped

and they dragged him through the door

he woke up here

in the present

in his own office.

it might have all been a dream

but when he tries to leave

he find the door locked from the outside.

minutes later the door opens

two guards walk him out at gunpoint

into his own rehearsal classroom

where the kids sit in their chairs in full uniform

clutching their instruments

terrified.

he recognizes some of them.

others

the eerily perfect-looking ones with white-blond hair and pearly skin

he doesn't.

the guards explain his fate

that japan has been claimed as first territory

that the first race is superior to the third race

that half the students here are firsts

that the firsts must be given principal chairs because of their race

and that all of these students will be expected to perform for the pleasure of the first King in 3 months.

if he fails to please the king

the ensemble will be disbanded

and the thirds will be killed

including himself.

he is given thick stacks of music

all for the students to learn

he stands onto the podium

still completely dazed

he puts the music on the floor

he will look at it later

he turns to the band

nothing seems to register clearly.

almost experimentally

without issuing a command

he lifts his hands

and the kids raise their instruments.

in that moment

suddenly

he remembers.

the words fall from his lips

"you killed my family."

the drugs pumped into him are wearing off

he turns to the guards and repeats himself

trembling

"you killed my family."

he remembers his beautiful children bleeding on the floor like rag dolls

takara screaming as the bullets tore into her

he staggers off the podium

nearly falls over his chair

moving toward the two guards

shaking all over

"you killed my children."

he tries to kill the two monsters in his path

he swings and kicks and flails and screams

but within minutes he's on the floor in front of his students

blows raining down on him

he fights until they beat him half-conscious

until they drag him back to his office and lock him inside

he knocks a shelf over and hundreds of files spill on the floor

he bangs feebly on the door until his fists are bloody

until his breaths are harsh and ragged

until his voice is hoarse from screaming

he wants to kill them

he has to kill them

eventually

he slumps in front of the door

finally sobbing in despair.


	2. Chapter 2

for three days

each time the guards try to drag him to the classroom

he fights back until they beat him stupid and lock him back up

his raw grief slowly grows into a deep desire for revenge

and he begins to mellow

it soon becomes clear to taki

as he lies in the darkness

that the only way to get close enough to the King to do any damage to the first regime

is to go with the band

and bring them to their best.

besides

he has no one left but his students.

he must at least keep them alive.

* * *

on the fifth day

taki finally allows himself to be led into the classroom.

the firsts snicker and whisper

they have seen him at his weakest

they will probably aim for low blows

so he will have to deal with that.

he takes inventory of how many of his own students are left

he sees kumiko, reina, shuichi, hazuki, yuko, natsuki...  
in total

he counts 32.

the rest are likely dead.

the guards bring him in front of the band.

"the punishments for first student disobedience is as follows: 3 strokes for minor infractions, 5 strokes for moderate infractions, and 10 for severe infractions."

"the punishments for third student disobedience is as follows: 5 strokes for minor infractions, 10 strokes for severe infractions, and 20 for severe infractions."

dear god

taki glances at the steel batons hanging from the guards' belts

he remembers being beaten with them for the past five days

now the same weapons would be used on his kids if they misbehave.

of course

he doubts they would ever lay a hand on the firsts.

"the severity of an infraction is to be determined subjectively by presiding classroom authorities. by order of the administration, students are to be reminded of these policies at the beginning of each class session."

they hand him a brand new baton

"you have been ordered to conduct with this. please begin."

taki considers asking if he can forgo the baton

but decides the wiser choice is not to argue.

he takes the baton

steps on the podium

and the kids wait expectantly for him to do something.

he takes a seat.

"i want to apologize for my absence these past few days."

a few firsts giggle. some of his own students look like they're about to cry.

taki forces himself to continue.

"i'd like to speak to my old students first. i hope you all understand that our lives are on the line. the concerts we perform for the King will determine whether we live or die. the better you play, the longer you will live. so, rehearsals are something you need to take extremely seriously. i expect you to keep discussion to a minimum for the three hours i have with you, for the next three months."

"secondly, i want you to learn to work with the firsts around you. i know that we are not quite in the correct chair order due to their presence. i don't care what they say or do to you; the fact is that we have to cooperate succeed. work with them and try not to start fights. remember that our main purpose is to play good music and stay alive."

he turns his attention to the firsts

they have been surprisingly quiet

the guards probably warned them to keep their mouths shut.

"firsts. i realize you believe you are a superior race-"

"we are."

of course. here come the interruptions.

"okay. you are the superior race. that does not mean you are superior musicians-"

"so? we don't get killed for sucking!"

it takes every ounce of self-control he has to remain calm.

"you are here to learn skills from me that will take you to the King in an position of honor at a very young age. if you want to make your families proud, you should listen and do what i suggest."

he pauses.

"if somehow you fall below my standards and you are unable to perform the same skills that a third is able to do, you will be dropped from the band of you do not improve."

"you're not allowed to do that to us!"

taki glances at the guards

from their confused looks, they didn't anticipate this statement

probably have no idea if he actually has that right

he decides to continue making assumptions

"you are here only as substitutes for my missing third students"

he swallows

41 of them are gone.

"i would rather have a smaller, more capable group than a large group with too many weak links. but since you are the superior students, i expect you to prove yourselves."

he picks up his baton and taps his stand.

"today i'll teach the new students our daily warm up routine. kitauji students, please try to help them if they are lost."

his kids scowl at each other

taki feels as angry as they are

but they cannot afford conflict

not if he wants to have revenge in 3 months.

he raises his new baton.

"concert f."

* * *

the first kids are surprisingly good

despite being a bunch of entitled little brats.

they aren't as good as his own kids

they sound like an average high school band

but at least he has something to work with.

he spends the first two days mainly reading through the music

he has to teach 12 marches to the band in three months and two multi-movement pieces for the main concert

which means that he will need to spend no more than 3 days on each march and two weeks each on the feature pieces.

although the pieces are all relatively unsophisticated

(the firsts must have the equivalent of a sousa in their musical history)

it quickly becomes clear to him that without sectional work

they will not progress fast enough.

taki paces his cluttered office

sometimes stepping on the messy files he knocked all over the floor.

the guards won't allow him any contact with the outside world

he has no idea what's going on out there

except that if he fails as a teacher

his students

the last handful of children he has

will be executed.

it also means that he has no access to many of his former sectional instructors

besides

most of them are probably either dead or stuck in the concentration camp he was hauled to last week

the only other option is to recruit a few students as assistants

but the difficulty lies in convincing the guards to let him take his own students as assistants instead of the firsts

taki adjusts his glasses as he thinks.

which students would be good instructors?

keita, jae, and tomo are the only surviving percussionists

he'll need one of them

he can handle woodwind sectionals himself

so he needs someone to teach brass sectionals

either tanaka asuka or kousaka reina will do.

eventually

he comes up with a plan.

as his father once said

music

doesn't

lie.

you can only admit when something sounds good.

it's a risky idea

banking entirely on his students' talent

but he knows that at the very least, one of them will make it

and for now, one person's help would be much better than him by himself

alone.

he hesitates on the word.

suddenly the grief returns

he can't stop the tears

alone is a terrible feeling.

soon the lights turn off

the entire building powers off every night.

he cries himself to sleep in the darkness

dreaming of takara's embrace.

* * *

forty minutes before the end of rehearsal

taki turns to his two guards

takes a deep breath

"i need an assistant. i need a student to conduct alongside me for me to teach more effectively."

one of them sneers

"sure"

"pick a first."

taki closes his eyes

"fine. but i have to test them."

he turns back to the band.

"if you would like to audition, please bring your instrument and form a line."

nearly every single first stands up.

taki leads the first in line to the piano

asks him to turn around

while he pushes down a key.

"did you hear that?"

the first nods.

"good. turn around and play the note you just heard back at me. you may take it up or down any number of octaves if necessary."

the kid stares at him

furious

"how the hell am I supposed to know?"

taki tilts his head

"if you want to help me conduct, you have to be able to play music back at me. please turn around."

he pushes another key.

"play it back."

the kid turns around and hesitantly plays a note.

it's wrong.

more than half the firsts murmur incredulously and return to their seats

"hey!"

the guards approach him

taki tenses up with fear

they shove him away from the piano

"we'll be the ones who pick the notes."

taki steps back obediently and lets them

it won't make much of a difference

even though they are picking only white keys within one or two octaves

because music doesn't lie.

twenty two minutes later

the last kid in line heads back to his seat

he came closer than the others

unnervingly close

he missed a note at 9

but none of them can play all 15 correctly.

taki looks at the guards pleadingly

trying to conceal his triumph.

"can the thirds have a try?"

the guards snort

"fine"

"your test is impossible anyway"

"we'll still pick the notes."

asuka gets up

kaori gets up

so do a few others

one by one they form a line

but reina doesn't join them.

shit.

she glances around and luckily catches taki's eye

he signals for her to volunteer

she raises her eyebrows at him, but stands up and quietly moves to the back of the line with her trumpet.

she's a bit quiet for leadership material

but taki knows she is the only one who will pass for certain.

he remembers how one time

as a seventh grader

she had nearly doubled his own high score at a pitch identifying game on his iphone.

as expected

the guards make it incredibly unfair for the thirds

they pick notes at large intervals

sometimes black keys instead of white.

every one of his kids is eliminated within the first few notes

until reina is the last one left.

luckily

she's just as brilliant as taki remembers.

unlike the others

whom all hovered uncertainly between a note or two

she doesn't hesitate when playing notes back.

she gets all 15 correct.

and just as taki expected

the guards don't let her off even after 15 notes.

they drag it out on to 40

they start paying patterns of random notes

but reina doesn't miss any of those either.

eventually

the guards are forced to make her an assistant.

taki can tell that even they are impressed by her.

they march her with him back to his office prison after rehearsal

"she has be locked up with you"

"we can't have your new bitch out and about running secret errands for you."

the door locks.

for the first time since the invasion

taki smiles

proud of his student.

"congratulations."


	3. Chapter 3

thanks to the addition of reina in his office

taki's life becomes much better.

she's far more organized than he is

the loose paperwork on his desk has been thrown out or put away

the remaining photos he has of his family are hidden from the guards in locked drawers

and the files are back on the shelves in chronological order.

a few weeks after she was forced to move in with him

reina grew bold enough to ask their guards for favors.

to taki's surprise

they acquiesce to most of her requests

one evening the two of them were allowed to bring clothes and bedding from their homes

so now reina has several sets of uniforms.

and taki finally changed out of his bloodstained clothes.

they are also allowed a shower in the gym locker rooms once a week

along with the other third students imprisoned in the school.

most surprisingly

reina even persuaded the guards to get her feminine products and taki shaving supplies

she also learned their names.

hans is the meaner of the two

chris is the one who was impressed with reina's perfect pitch

he's the one who usually ends up convincing hans to grant reina's requests.

meanwhile

taki spends most of his time in his office teaching reina how to conduct and read scores

she's already very intuitive when listening for errors and calling for improvements

but she's not that good at actually conducting.

taki decides to go about instructing her like his former professor instructed him when he was a student-teacher in college.

he supervises her first few rehearsals of the full band

after which they sit down and he critiques her strengths and flaws.

by the second week he trusts her enough to run brass sectionals on her own in the chorus room while he teaches the woodwinds

but he still makes her sit down in his office and tell him everything that happened in rehearsal

and what she could do to improve.

in the meantime

reina fills him in on what is happening locally

most of the wealthier schools are still in function

kitauji has about one hundred third students

the seniors and juniors were all herded to the gym and shot to death

because the administration decided that they were too old to be indoctrinated

except the band students.

kumiko and the rest of her friends

as taki knows

are in the band here

but their parents were killed.

taki shares his own story of loss with reina

but doesn't mention his plans of revenge

or that he is training her to become a full-fledged band director

not just as an assistant

but as his permanent successor

if something goes wrong.

* * *

things run smoothly for several weeks

until the administration begins to send auditors to his rehearsals.

the so-called auditors seem to have no other purpose other than to interfere

they frequently interrupt taki

ask for unnecessary explanations

sometimes insult him

taki does his best to ignore them

until they begin beating his third students for trivial mistakes

often hitting them 10 times for "moderate infractions"

sometimes 5 for absolutely no reason

at first taki tries to stop them

but he finds that it only fuels their sadism

and puts himself in the line of fire.

the worst part is not being able to comfort his students.

with the auditors around

chris and hans no longer cut him any slack

they take him and reina straight from the podium to the office after each rehearsal

while his students cry and bleed on the floor

and there is nothing he can do about it.

at least

however

they haven't punished anyone for "severe consequences" yet.

regardless

taki fears for his students' lives every day.

he also no longer feels comfortable letting reina teach sectionals on her own

not with those men prowling the school

so for the past few rehearsals

reina has stayed by his side with a trumpet instead of a baton

as a demonstrator

wearing taki's glasses and professional attire instead of a school uniform

to make her look older

so that the auditors continue to treat her as no more or no less than taki

until

they attack her best friend.

a first girl complained that kumiko wasn't turning the pages quickly enough for her

so the auditors drag her to the front of the room

and reina tries to stop them

yelling for them to spare kumiko

and to taki's horror

the auditors realize that reina is not very old at all.

taki's personal guards try to explain that reina is an appointed student-teacher

but the auditors raise their steel batons and knock reina down

her trumpet clatters to the floor

and blood trickles down her forehead.

taki rushes to defend her

but to his relief

one of the auditors holds up a hand

"stop"

"let her be a teacher"

"we could use a third like her on staff"

he shoots a meaningful look at the others

most of them seem confused

but one of them chuckles

another says "oh"

whatever the inside joke is

the others go along with it.

taki is starting to feel nervous

he exchanges a glance with reina.

the auditors shove kumiko away

but to everyone's surprise

they back off and fall silent.

the rest of rehearsal is surprisingly smooth

taki enjoys two hours of uninterrupted practice

and on the band's last run-through of the music they have been working on

he smiles

letting the last note ring

remembering that moments like this

is why he dedicated his life to music.

suddenly

the guards start shouting

"ALRIGHT! REHEARSAL IS OVER! GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF HERE! NOW!"

most of the students flinch and dash out of their seats

even the firsts are startled

when the room is almost clear

one of the guards violently grabs reina by her hair

starts dragging her across the hall into an empty classroom

as she pleads for mercy

it dawns on taki

the horrible realization

why they were chuckling with satisfaction

no

oh god no

he makes a dash for reina

but something hits him in the back of the head

he stumbles and falls

tries to crawl

yelling for them to leave her alone

it earns him another blow

the ceiling starts spinning

"get him locked up."

he struggles weakly as they drag him back to the office

the door clicks shut and he's locked in

but he doesn't stop banging

he panics when reina's terrified screams echo from the empty band room

the agony of losing his family resurfaces sharply

he cries for his students

for his friends

for reina

for yuki and kouki

for takara

for himself

for the human race.

* * *

sometime in the night

after the building has powered down

the door opens

chris and hans gently help reina into the office

taki gathers her frail form in his arms

she's shaking badly.

chris tells him that he and hans already took her to the bathroom to let her clean up

and that they lied to the auditors

ensuring this wouldn't happen again.

they shut the door

the office is plunged back into darkness.

taki hugs her tightly to his chest

like his own child

patting her head

apologizing for his weakness

he murmurs comforting words to her until her sobbing dies down

until her trembling stops

until her breathing slows

and he's certain she's asleep

curled up against him

her head pillowed on his shoulder.

taki doesn't want to risk waking her up

so he lies still in the darkness

heart pounding with a mixture of anger and terror

he wishes so badly that he could have suffered in reina's place

because at least he can't get pregnant.

he promises

he swears

by the end of these three months

the King will die.


	4. Chapter 4

a month has passed since reina's assault

but to taki's immense relief

today she told him that her period is back.

so now

thankfully

he no longer wakes up in the dark

sweating from nightmares about coat hanger abortions.

* * *

"sensei..."

"are we gonna live like this forever?"

taki takes another drink of soda

he states at the bottle for a few seconds.

thank god he forced himself to survive rehab last year

otherwise reina would be stuck in here watching him die in delirium tremens.

he isn't sure how to answer.

reina sighs and finishes her sprite.

"they'll just kick us around until we die, right?"

taki nods

"pretty much."

or

of course

until he succeeds in getting revenge.

he won't let reina know though.

meanwhile

reina tosses her bottle into the trash can

taki tries to throw his in too

it bounces off the rim

reina frowns at him

"can you not?"

taki smirks at her

like he used to smirk at michie

reina rolls her eyes

crawls over him to the trash can

throws away his shit for him

"you're such a slob, sensei."

taki chuckles quietly

he sits up and stretches

grabs the stack of scores he was going over with reina before dinner.

the band has 2 more marches to learn

plus they need more polishing on the 2 feature pieces

particularly the second one.

he hands reina one of the marches and one of the feature pieces

"so, based on everything we talked about today, i need you to make a hit list for brass sectionals tomorrow. we'll go over it together when you're done."

reina nods

picks up her pencil

and they both go back to work.

* * *

the auditors are back.

taki can sense his students are scared

but also angry.

while reina conducts

he sees them exchanging meaningful glances

he sees folded notes circulating covertly

he hears whispers being exchanged when certain sections are not playing

he knows something is up

but with the extra guards around

he had no way of warning them to stop without alerting the auditors.

he just hopes

for their sake

that they aren't thinking about doing something stupid

as least

not as stupid as what he has planned in mind.

* * *

taki is in the middle of giving instructions to the trumpet section

when a bloodcurdling scream stops him

it's far away

outside the building

from the parking lot outside of the band room

his students look as terrified as he is

he forces himself to ignore it

tries to remember what he was saying

but the screaming goes on and on

so prolonged

that taki eventually asks the auditors what it is

one of them smirks

"we've decided to start teaching lessons to third kids who think they're hot shit"

the other guards cackle

"haha"

"hot shit"

"what we do is light the kid on fire and make the whole class watch"

"gets rid of the rebels and teaches everyone else a long lesson"

"gives the firsts a nice light show"

he feels weak in his knees

there's a child burning alive out there

how

how can he be expected to resume rehearsal

how can his children be expected to stay calm

how

taki closes his eyes.

"trumpets. measure 86."

later

he notices

to his immense relief

that no one is passing notes anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

back in the office after rehearsal

reina is pissed at taki

"why didn't you respond when i sent asuka-senpai over?"

taki grimaces

"i'm sorry"

"i was occupied"

reina blinks angrily

"you were occupied for a whole half-hour?! i got harassed by a bunch of firsts because you didn't send her back with an answer! you couldn't have spared just two minutes for me?!"

taki is quiet

yes

that was his fault

she's made that clear

but she wasn't the only one dealing with stress and harassment today

reina doesn't take his silence well

"taki-sensei… do you just not care or something?"

taki has had enough

this is not making his shitty day any better

he glares at her

"i'm sorry, alright?"

"please just... leave me alone"

reina blinks

surprised and hurt

she grabs her fluffy pillow and ducks under michie's old desk

which is where she normally sleeps now

taki heaves a frustrated sigh and throws himself in his chair at his cluttered desk

props his feet up

rubs the bridge of his nose.

more than anything

he wants the auditors to get out of his goddamn classroom

he never thought they'd start sexually harassing him in front of his students

he thought it was the kind of problem only reina would have to deal with

but there they are

taunting him while he's trying to teach

asking him if he fucks reina

prodding about his dead mother and dead wife

right then and there taki lost his calm

his guards had to pin him against the wall to keep him from pummeling them

it takes every bit of self control right now to stop himself from kicking over the bookshelf reina had so meticulously organized.

half an hour later

after his blood had stopped pounding

he realizes reina is crying almost inaudibly behind the desk

taki sighs to himself

despite his anger

now he feels a slight pang of guilt.

he shouldn't have spoken to her like that.

since they have tomorrow's hit list mostly prepared anyway

they might as well go to sleep

he gets up and turns off the light without waiting for the building to power down

reminding himself to apologize to reina in the morning.

* * *

later

chris knocks on the door

it's their usual dinner time

taki politely refuses the food

he's not in the mood.

he gently asks reina if she wants her share

she answers from behind the desk with a tiny "no"

so chris closes the door

and taki falls back asleep.

* * *

he wakes up in the dark with hot breath on his face

something cold and sharp is pressed against his throat

someone whispers

"get up"

"don't make a sound"

"unless you want your bitch dead"

they quietly move him at knifepoint from his office to a piano practice room

the door gently clicks shut

paralyzed with fear

taki hears voices whispering in the dark

"do everything we tell you to do or we'll get the admin to burn that girl alive in the parking lot"

"don't make a single fucking noise"

"not one sound out of you."

"now"

"take off all your clothes."

taki counts at least three voices

he can't fight three armed men

"take off your fucking clothes or we'll cut them off your ass!"

he slowly unbuttons his shirt

he's done for

there's no way out of this.

someone whisper-shouts angrily

"hurry the fuck up!"

taki fumbles with his shirt buttons

terrified

his hands shake uncontrollably

he gasps in the dark when his belt is yanked open

his pants and underwear are pulled down

the tip of a knife prods the back of his neck

"get on your knees"

he sinks to his knees

trembling

his wrists are squeezed together and tied behind his back

then they push him on his back in the darkness

pulling his pants completely off his legs.

he starts kicking when they grab his ankles

but one of them snarls

"keep struggling if you want her to burn like a piece of meat"

taki finally surrenders

holdiung back a sob as they grip his ankles and spread them wide apart.

he wants to die

he doesn't want to experience this

where are chris and hans

please

help

no!

they pull his legs up

winding rope around his ankles

tying him to either rails of a piano

hushed laughter surrounds him.

taki really, truly wants to end his life

he wants them to slit his throat with the knife

or knock him unconscious.

anything would be better than this.

* * *

it isn't long before he accidentally lets out a strangled sound of pain between clenched teeth

there's hot breath around his ear

"what was that I heard?"

taki forces himself to cry noiselessly

shuddering in pain.

eventually

when he feels something tear apart inside him

it takes everything he has left to stifle his screams.

* * *

by the time the they're finished

the floor is splattered with blood

taki trembles and sobs as they cut his ropes loose

someone shoves him roughly

"get up"

"wipe off that shit"

they thrust a roll of toilet paper in his hands

he climbs to his feet

panting in agony

whimpering as he dabs at the sticky blood running down his legs

"put on your clothes"

"hurry the fuck up!"

taki slowly pulls on his pants

wincing

they grab him by the throat and push him into the hallway

"if we find out you snitched to chris or hans about this, we'll kill all 32 of your kids"

"and not a word to your bitch either or we'll burn her"

"shut the fuck up if you want everyone alive"

"be a good piece of trash"

he stumbles into his office and falls on the floor

behind him

the door closes silently

and taki is left alone

curled up on the floor

sobbing quietly

until someone lays a small hand on his shoulder.

"one day it'll be over"

"i promise."

taki rolls over on his back

choking on tears

"i'll kill chris-"

"-no. didn't you hear them? chris doesn't know what happens during other guards' night shifts. it's not his fault."

taki understands now

the one who took everything from him

the one he has to kill

is still the King.

yet he knows

even that isn't enough to erase his shame.

before they began to tear him to pieces

his body enjoyed what they were doing.

taki feels disgusting

violated

filthy

he's grateful for the darkness hiding his burning face from his student

reina sits down next to him

"taki-sensei? can i give you a hug?"

taki croaks

"please do"

she wraps her small arms around his shoulders

and

to his surprise

begins to repeat the same comforting words he spoke to her on the night of her assault

until the pain lessens

until his rage quiets and his sobs fade.

when he finally slumps to the floor for the night

reina asks if she can stay next to him

so taki agrees.

she curls up

tucks her head against his shoulder.

"sensei"

"i heard them threatening to kill me"

"thank you for protecting me."

taki pats her head

those words alone lift him slightly from his self-loathing

at least

his compliance may have saved a student's life.


	6. Chapter 6

consequently

after his rape

taki is suffering much more taunting and harassment in rehearsal by the auditors

whom are clearly doing no fucking auditing at all

thank god the band is ahead of schedule

since he is making very little progress right now.

he stopped sending reina to hold sectionals

so he is rehearsing on his own again.

the first students laugh at him

impossible to control unless he forces them to go down the line.

his own students

instead of acting fearful

are growing more and more frustrated with their unfair treatment

and are furious whenever their director is humiliated.

on one hand taki appreciates their loyalty to him

but on the other

he finds himself fearing for their lives again.

* * *

today

exactly 2 weeks away from the King's concert

the head auditor pays taki a visit

he is ordered to have the band play the entire mandatory repertoire for the auditors

he conducts most of the pieces

but allows reina to lead two marches and a feature piece

the head auditor is extremely impressed with taki's teaching ability

but then realizes that the band skipped the first anthem.

the room gets eerily quiet.

the auditor rises from his seat

"why hasn't the band learned our anthem yet?"

taki swallows

"i... i was going teach it in these last two weeks."

the auditor strides toward him

stopping right in front of his face.

"why so late, taki-san?"

silence

until chris steps in to defend him

"he was saving the most important for last."

taki nods gratefully.

the auditor glares at him for a full five seconds

"shall we give you a few strikes help you remember to teach our anthem?"

taki swallows

lowers his eyes.

"you've made your point clear."

several seconds of silence pass

but the auditor finally turns on his heel.

"i will be returning tomorrow to hear our anthem played without error."

taki mentally curses as the door shuts behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

even though he has one and a half rehearsals left

taki already knows the situation is hopeless.

although his own kids can sightread wonderfully

the first students are purposely mucking up everything.

it's obvious they are more than familiar with their own anthem

but they seem determined to watch him suffer the consequences of failure.

eventually taki decides to give up

since he can achieve nothing without their cooperation.

he steps off the podium

and sighs.

"Firsts. I know you guys can play this. I know you don't like me-"

"-you got that right."

the first girl who interrupted him is Ellen

tall, haughty, and white blonde with pearly complexion

just like all the eerily perfect-looking firsts

though not a great player

she sits as first chair flute.

taki decides to ignore ellen

and continue.

"I don't care how you feel about me, but I do want you to know that if you want to impress the King on our concert, you have to be able to perform this well-"

ellen interrupts him again

"don't you worry. we'll behave onstage."

the firsts all start giggling

his own students look furious

taki narrows his eyes.

ellen smirks at him.

"we'll be perfect on the concert. don't stress your little third brain about our playing. we just think that it'll be funny to watch what they'll do to you and your thirds tomorrow."

someone chimes in

"sorry not sorry"

the firsts laugh.

chris finally speaks up

"ellen, that's enough. we need-"

ellen raises her eyebrows

"i said we'll be good on the actual concert. i'm sure it's fine to fuck around with him first-"

"no. we need him alive to conduct the concert-"

"yeah, so the auditors know that too. they won't actually kill him."

"you don't know that-"

"chris, are you for real helping a third?"

chris opens his mouth

but hans nudges him into silence.

taki stiffens

inwardly panicking

ellen has just robbed him of the remaining bit of control he had over the firsts.

next to him

reina is clenching her jaw.

ellen smirks at her friends as she hands them her flute

asuka, kumiko, and natsuki glare at her as she gets up from her seat

taki frowns

"please sit down-"

Ellen backhands him.

taki stumbles back in shock

vaguely he hears laughter

"smack him like a bitch"

"get him ellen!"

reina grabs his arm

pulls him away from ellen

glaring at her furiously

chris starts again

"ellen, this-"

ellen cuts him off

"this is within my rights as a first."

she shoves reina away

"move, you little slut"

reina is about to slap ellen in retaliation

but hans catches her wrist

he pins her to the floor

as ellen steps in front of taki.

"we'll behave tomorrow if you can pay us. but since you don't have money or anything, you'll have to be our bitch for an hour if you want us to help you."

taki is trembling with anger

but she's right

he doesn't have a choice.

ellen grins

"get down on your knees in front of me."

the firsts start gasping in excitement

"ohhhh snap"

taki glances at his own students

pinned on the floor

reina shakes her head

kumiko and asuka are quietly shaking their heads at him

asuka mouthes at him, "don't give up."

taki turns to the band

"firsts. do i have your word that you will cooperate after this?"

ellen laughs

taki ignores her.

"i'll ask again"

"do i have your word?"

the firsts glance at each other

shrugging

one of them calls out

"yeah. whatever. we'll play for you tomorrow."

taki's gaze returns to ellen

he quietly makes himself clear.

"this is only to protect my students."

he clenches his fists and lowers himself to his knees

in front of a 17 year old girl.

he sees shuuichi's face drop into his hands

he sees haruki crying

he shuts his eyes when the laughter begins

he can't help but feel humiliated.

ellen sounds pleased

towering over him in triumph

"so what do you guys want him to do?"

the firsts start shouting out degrading ideas

"make him take off his pants!"

"tell him to twerk!"

they laugh maniacally at the second option

but then he hears kaori scream "yuuko! STOP!"

he opens his eyes

yuuko has gotten to her feet

she slams her chair aside in the third row and storms up to ellen

"you can't do that to him, you ugly slut!"

ellen makes a face

"uh, you're the ugly-ass third!"

she laughs and points at taki

who is still kneeling on the floor

"you're even uglier than him!"

without warning

yuuko punches ellen in the face

ellen shrieks when blood gushes from her bruised nose

yuuko laughs coldly as hans and chris come running

"who's the ugly one now?"

ellen's friends start attacking yuuko

asuka defends her

chris and kaori try to separate them

hans calls for backup

taki and reina clamber to their feet

they attempt to help stop the fighting

because this could be the end of his kids' lives

but within seconds he entire room is in plunged into chaos

he tries to stop a student from swinging a music stand

he tries to stop another from strangling a first trombone player

but there is too much anger

too much screaming

too much bloodthirst built up through weeks of hate

until

suddenly

gunshots ring out

all the kids panic and run for cover

firsts and thirds alike

taki seizes reina and hunches over

shielding her from gunfire with his back

he hugs her tightly

twisting his head to see a dozen guards raising guns in the air

pouring into the band room

they keep firing into the ceiling

roaring for everyone to shut up

until the screams stop

and there is only terrified silence.

the head auditor walks in

surveying the mess and the cowering students.

he turns to hans

"what happened?"

hans salutes

"the thirds attacked the firsts, sir"

the auditor frowns

"all of them were fighting? firsts and thirds?"

hans nods

"yes sir."

oh god

it's over now

taki knows they're finished.

"taki-san. come over here."

taki releases reina

forces himself to walk to the auditor

"is it true that your thirds were fighting?"

taki opens his mouth

his voice is hoarse

"they didn't start it."

a moment of silence passes

until the auditor finally speaks

"all third students. come to the center of the room where I am."

taki watches his kids slowly rise

one by one

and join him in the center of the room

reina makes a move to get up

but taki catches her eye and shakes his head

she's an assistant teacher

she should not count as a student.

the auditor counts his kids.

"one is missing."

taki motions to reina

"she's an assistant. i- i need her to conduct on the concert-"

the auditor shakes his head.

"i have already counted her out. there is still someone missing."

silence

and then

behind reina

kumiko stands up

reina grabs her hand

"NO! Sit down!"

but kumiko pulls out of her grip

"they'll find me anyway, reina."

reina lets go but clutches a chair in terror

quietly begging and pleading

taki can't bear to look at her.

the auditor nods as kumiko joins the others

"thirds. get in a line and stand with your back against those lockers. firsts, move out of the way."

now taki's worst fears have been confirmed

the auditor turns to him as two guards grab his arms

"i didn't want to cut out the best part of your band, taki-san."

taki is about to faint

"no"

"no!"

"please"

"it's not their fault"

"please!"

the twelve guards line up in front of his students

the auditor looks faint in the eye

"i hereby sentence your thirds to death by firing squad."

taki struggles furiously against the guards

watching in agony as his students link hands and shut their eyes

some of them are crying

no

he cannot allow this to happen

he promised to protect them

all of them

he promised with his life

taki starts to sob

gasping

"i am begging you"

"let them have another chance!"

"PLEASE!"

the auditor shrugs

"too late, taki-san. mistakes must be punished."

the guards raise their weapons in unison

taki screams

"STOP! STOP! KILL ME INSTEAD! KILL ME!"

he jerks his arms free from the surprised guards

charging into the line of fire

"KILL ME!"

he shields his crying students

hands raised

"I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! NOT THEM!"

the guards hesitate

they glance at the auditor

who seems interested.

slowly

taki steps forward

he knows reina is ready to succeed him

he is ready to accept his fate.

he reaches out with shaking hands

cautiously wraps his fingers around one of the guard's machine guns

"if you have to punish someone for what happened"

"then please take it out on me"

"just me"

taki sinks to his knees in front of his children

still gripping the gun

presses the barrel to his forehead

and shuts his eyes

trembling uncontrollably

"please."

a full minute of silence passes

taki is on the brink of collapse

his shirt is damp with sweat

heartbeat hammering in his ears

he mentally begs for them to do it quickly

without pain.

finally

the auditor speaks.

"lower your weapons"

taki lets out his breath

he feels weak all over

as if he's already died.

he still can't control his trembling.

the auditor murmurs quiet instructions to his personal guards

then motions at him

"get up, taki-san. follow me."

* * *

taki is led into the hall

flanked by hans and chris

when no one follows

the auditor commands the guards to herd the thirds out behind him

and the firsts trail after them

whispering and laughing with hushed excitement.

they are all marched at gunpoint to the front lobby

where a steel whipping post is installed in the center of kitauji's tiled school star

taki has seen it used on students before

but only for severe infractions of 20 or more strokes

its public location is meant to teach a lesson to other thirds

provide a spectacle for sadistic firsts

and add humiliation to physical pain.

hans and chris position him in front of the post with his back facing the main entrance

taki holds out his hands obediently around the post

touches his forehead to the steel

breathing deeply

chris gives him an apologetic look

hans chains his wrists to a protruding rung

and they step back to the side

where reina is also forced to stand

the auditor orders the rest of the students to sit down on the floor in front of the post

directs two guards to stand behind taki

and tells the guards to keep their guns pointed at the thirds.

as the firsts eagerly settle themselves behind his own kids

the auditor finally turns his attention to taki

striding toward him

"you said you want to take responsibility for your students' infractions?"

taki closes his eyes

"yes."

the auditor starts pacing around him

"taki-san. tell us how many strokes are dealt for a severe infraction."

taki steels himself

he can handle that

he's had worse.

"twenty."

"good. and how many third students do you have? including your assistant?"

taki frowns

"thirty-two."

the auditor stops at his left.

"what is twenty times thirty-two?"

silence.

taki's heart stops

he won't survive this.

without warning

a truncheon hits him in the back

he cries out in pain

chains clinking against the steel post

"i asked you what twenty times thirty-two is, taki-san."

taki chokes out the answer

"640."

shocked silence

until reina stumbles forward

"No! NO! TAKI-SENSEI!"

hans and chris grab her and pull her back

reina fights their grip

"NO! LET ME TAKE HIS PLACE!"

taki shuts his eyes.

"reina, don't."

she starts crying

"please! can i take half for you?"

taki looks her in the eye

"reina. no. i need you to conduct the band if i don't make it."

he can't bear to watch her suffer

how could he ever

he would never forgive himself if he ever heard any of his kids scream again

they are the only children he has left.

the auditor continues as reina buries her face in her hands

"see, nobody wants you to take 640 strokes, and i don't want you dead either. you are a talented, valuable resource. however, like i said, someone must be punished. but you don't have to do this by yourself. i'll let you decide how much responsibility you are willing to take, and how much you want your students to take."

he motions at taki's terrified students

"for every twenty strokes you accept, i'll randomly pick one your students and send them back to the band room, and then i will offer you a chance to stop. whenever you decide to give up, the third students left here will be executed by firing squad. it is entirely up to you how many students will be punished. do we have a deal?"

taki clenches his chained hands

presses his forehead against the steel post

"yes."

the auditor nods.

"good. let's start counting. you have a long way to go."

the guards at his back raise their batons

the firsts cheer and laugh when the first blow lands on his back

he manages to stay silent for the first dozen

but soon he is gasping and yelling with each impact.

reina is the first the auditor sends to safety

then kaori

then kumiko.

"60. do you want to stop now?"

taki trembles against the pole

bracing himself

"no."

eventually he is on his knees

hanging by his chains

screaming himself hoarse with pain.

"100. are you ready to stop?"

he grits his teeth

he wants more than anything for the pain to end

"NO!"

he didn't know he could survive this much pain

he can't stop screaming and crying.

* * *

a first teacher comes up to complain about the noise

she claims taki-sensei's screams are giving her a headache in her classroom

so he is allowed a brief break while the auditors tie a thick strip of cloth around his mouth.

they ask him if he wants to stop

taki shakes his head

and screams into the gag when he feels a rib crack beneath the blow.

he tries to will himself into unconsciousness

it doesn't work.

soon the firsts begin to leave

bored by his agony

they head back to the band room

where hans and chris wait with the handful of third students whose lives his blood has paid for.

* * *

he has no idea how much time has passed.

gradually

by 400

the blows have softened significantly

the guards are getting tired.

taki's screams have dulled to groans and sobs

he has fractured ribs on either side of his torso

he struggles to breathe through the gag

his head spins from pain and blood loss

soon he will die

and all will be well.

* * *

"620. You are allowed to stop now if you want."

taki struggles feebly

delirious with pain

a girl in the background is screaming.

"she seems more than willing to die for you."

now taki realizes

yuuko is the one screaming

she's the last one left

hans speaks

"come on, man"

"she was the first to hit"

"she deserves it"

yuuko sobs

she says she's sorry

she says she wants to die for him

no

he can't

no

she is

one of his

daughters.

for the last time

he shakes his head.

* * *

"we gotta make 640 the biggest one!"

"ready? on three…"

the last blow snaps his spine in two.

finally

finally

he slips into darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

when he wakes up

the building is dark

he was left gagged and tied to the post on his knees

he tries to fall back asleep.

* * *

sometime in the night

reina finds him

she drops to her knees at his side

"s-sensei?"

he hears her

he hears her quiet tears

but he doesn't have the strength to speak.

reina fumbles as she unchains him

gently supports him as he slumps to the ground

she pulls off his gag

fresh air rushes into his mouth along with sharp agony in his core

he still can't muster the strength to make a sound

too much pain

his vocal chords feel torn.

as his vision blurs

reina holds his hand

she lets out a whispered sob

almost inaudible

"father"

taki heard her.

he tries to squeeze her hand as the darkness overtakes him again.

* * *

reina spends the rest of the night awake

tending to taki's injuries

peels his bloodsoaked shirt off his back

asks for chris to help her find bandages and pain relief medicine in the band storage room.

but the next morning

hans opens the door

informs her that rehearsal must continue as usual

and offers her taki's baton.

reina doesn't want to

but taki struggles to find his voice

"take it"

"you're ready"

he chokes

"don't worry about me."

reina nods

"try to get some sleep."

she rises

accepts the baton

and strides into the band room

flanked by guards

uniform smeared with taki-sensei's blood.

* * *

the band is already assembled

chattering incessantly or crying quietly

and the scores are scattered on the table behind the podium where sensei left them.

reina quickly takes the podium

puts the tuner on a desk so the entire band can see it

motions at ellen with sensei's baton

"ellen, please give us a concert Bb. firsts and thirds, watch the tuner and make sure she's in tune before you play. if she takes too long to center herself, mariah will be our new principal clarinet."

next to ellen

mariah's eyes light up

ellen glares at her and plays.

once the whole band has tuned

reina decides to speak to the band before delving into the music.

"since you firsts have all worked so hard to get rid of taki-sensei, you must have been dying to have me succeed him. thanks for that. i'm flattered."

"before we get started, keep in mind that i am not taki-sensei. yes, like did, i will call you out individually on mistakes. i will make you go down the line. however, i understand taki-sensei has threatened to throw you out of this band regardless of your firstness or thirdness. unlike him, i will actually carry out that threat if you don't meet my expectations."

a first speaks up

"what if we all just quit?"

reina points at chris and hans

"see those guys? you think they're rich or have good lives? everyone has to grow up. what do you think you're going to be when you're 30? stuck in a high school beating up teenagers for a living? working some normal boring-ass job? or playing beautiful music for the King himself in the royal court? it's up to you. or maybe it's up to your parents. i don't think they would be happy if they found out you won't be playing for the King anymore, would they?"

the first shuts up.

reina continues.

"thirds. don't take any more risks. you watched taki-sensei buy our lives back from the auditors. you are breathing right now because of him. don't waste his sacrifice by doing something stupid."

kaori raises his hand

"is he going to be okay?"

reina shuts her eyes for a moment.

"i don't know."

she lifts the baton as gracefully as sensei used to.

"concert F."

* * *

when reina gets back to the office

taki-sensei is halfway upright

clinging to his chair

gasping in pain

doing literally everything she specifically told him not to do

taki-sensei looks at her

pleading hoarsely

"can... can you help me?"

reina drops the entire stack of scores

kneels next to him

"what did you do?"

taki-sensei shuts his eyes

"i'm stuck."

now reina realizes

he's pulling himself upright with the chair to keep the broken ends of his spine separated

he tried to get up and now he can't lie back down

reina sighs

what the hell was he thinking?

she supports his bandaged back with her forearms

"okay. can you let go of that chair?"

taki-sensei doesn't respond

he's shaking terribly

reina feels awful for him

but he'll be in less pain lying down on his blankets.

since her arms are occupied

she nudges him with her chin

"sensei. i need you to let go. i'll catch you; i promise."

she can sense him bracing himself.

taki-sensei gasps in pain when he finally releases the chair

but reina slows his fall

helps him roll over on his stomach so the bandages have air

she goes under michie-sensei's desk and pulls out her beloved fluffy pillow

puts it under taki-sensei's head

it's a better pillow than his folded-up jacket

between pained gasps

taki-sensei thanks her

reina nods

"just please don't drool all over it"

which brings a faint smile to his lips.

reina sits down next to him

playing with the hem of her skirt

"what were you trying to do? i can help you get something if you need it"

taki-sensei grimaces

"no"

"i just want to stand"

reina nods

"you'll be able to walk again eventually"

"but right now you need to rest."

taki-sensei shakes his head

"reina..."

he swallows

"i can't feel my legs."

reina blinks

"what?"

taki-sensei lets out a sob

"i can't feel anything below my waist"

oh no

oh god no

his spinal cord is injured

that's why he's partially paralyzed

if he doesn't get professional help

he'll never be able to stand up.

reina knocks on the door

begs chris to ask for a doctor

to ask if there's anything they can do

to fix sensei.

but when chris returns alone

he informs them that the auditors refuse to give him medical care

and that they have already scheduled his execution

for tomorrow evening.


	9. Chapter 9

reina refuses to accept it.

she lost her own parents

she can't lose taki-sensei too.

eventually her desperate pleading moves chris to negotiate with the auditors

using the argument that sensei's injuries have already put him on the brink of death anyway

but when chris returns

he is not alone.

the head auditor steps into the office.

reina grabs a fistful of his pants

kneeling

pleading

but the auditor violently kicks her aside

"don't touch me, you disgusting little third."

he turns his attention to taki-sensei

who glares at him weakly

the auditor smiles as he raises his leg

pressing his shoe onto his broken back

taki-sensei cries out in pain

struggling helplessly

the auditor laughs

"it does look like chris was telling the truth. you're as good as dead."

he releases taki-sensei

who gasps in agony

the auditor crouches down in front of him.

"unfortunately for you though, i don't care how dead you may be. you see, taki-san, you brought the ire some of my superiors yesterday, because you didn't beg for mercy even after 640 blows. i didn't anticipate that. i do have to applaud your tenacity. however, we can't give the impression that others can get away with what you did. this is not about ending your life, taki noboru. it's about ending what you stand for."

he rises and sees reina crawling towards taki-sensei

he stops her with a nudge of his foot.

"and you, little girl. you may be talented, but your mistakes might cost you the lives that your director bought back yesterday. you better be more careful around me from now on."

the auditor turns back to taki-sensei.

"your execution will be at 5:30 PM tomorrow in the front parking lot. i think you should be informed that you are sentenced to die by fire."

he opens the door to leave

"sleep well, taki-san."

the lights shut off in his wake

as night finally falls.

* * *

taki is still for a moment

listening to his numbered heartbeats.

each pound in his ears is like a ticking second

slowly counting down to zero

yet he isn't afraid of what lies at the end.

he has been prepared to die since a long time ago.

reina curls up next to him

sobbing uncontrollably

taki reaches out

pats her head

"reina-chan"

"don't cry"

he tries to smile

"i'm not completely dead yet"

reina chokes angrily through tears

"i hate them"

trembling on the floor

"I HATE THEM!"

now

taki knows it's time.

that night

his last night

he gives his plans to his daughter

who promises to carry out his revenge

"Kill the King."

but more importantly

more than anything in the world

he passes to her his original oath

as director

to protect the students with her life.

he asks her to seal the promise

with her blood

just as he had done nine years ago

when he graduated from college

and began his teaching career.

he watches as reina cuts into her palm

letting the drops soak into the wooden floorboards.

how silly it had seemed then

but it was as if both his father and professor takano knew that this was coming

as if they knew that noboru would one day have to choose between his students' lives or his own.

taki watches from the floor as reina tilts the knife in the window light

examining her bloody palm

eventually she glances at him

"sensei?

taki presses his lips together

"what?"

he already knows what she's thinking

he's thought about it too.

reina swallows.

"do you... i could... if you don't want to burn alive... your wrists have major arteries..."

taki shakes his head

"no"

"they'll punish you for that after i die."

he can't piss the auditors off again

he can't let his last moves endanger his students

he can't leave like that

no matter how much he wants to.

reina sighs

"sensei… why do you have to be so selfless?"

taki feels a bizarre urge to laugh

except it would hurt too much

so he smiles in the darkness

"just another day in the life of a high school band director."


	10. Chapter 10

early in the morning

the auditors bring him a snow white shirt

soaked in kerosene

which he is forced to wear

courtesy of the head auditor.

in the hour before his execution

taki is allowed one final chance to speak with his students.

reina brings them to his office

where they gather around his broken body

many of them crying.

he smiles up at them from the floor

telling them how happy he is to be seeing his family again

and at the same time

how sad he is to be leaving his students.

he tells them how much he loves them

how grateful he is to have known and taught such great kids

how honored he is to be dying for them.

he reminds them again and again to stay strong

take care of each other

and follow reina's lead.

lastly

he asks them to promise they won't cry when the fire is lit

and in return

he swears to stay silent in the flames

with dignity

without scaring them.

because he is too weak to hug them

he reaches out with an shaking arm

and begs his kids to take his hand.

he smiles as they press their palms against his

and tells them

one last time

that he will always love them

that he will always be with them

and that he looks forward to hearing their royal concert

from the sky.

* * *

finally

the guards push through the door

and wrench his arm away from his kids.

he is dragged out onto the parking lot

held on his knees in front of the head auditor

surrounded by the entire school.

as the guards wind ropes around him

binding him tightly to a lamp post

the auditor mockingly blesses him before the crowd

and anoints him with a dab of kerosene

inciting jeering and laughter from the firsts.

when the guards reappear

carrying more bottles of kerosene

and the auditor pulls out a smaller lighter

taki begins hyperventilating

as wild panic kicks in

and his courage fails him.

suddenly

he wants to end it the easy way.

his neck isn't bound in ropes

he could do it now.

in his desperation

he wants to pull violently against his ropes

and slam the back of his head against the lamp post

he could easily break his own neck

or at least knock himself out before the flames touch his skin.

minutes before

he had stupidly thought his torture was already at its peak

now he is certain

this will be

much

much

worse.

he pulls forward

ready to snap his skull back against the lamp post

until the last second

when time suddenly

stops.

behind his executioners

he sees his 32 kids

pushed at gunpoint to the very front of the crowd

forced to watch

yet

none of them are crying.

they are holding hands

biting their lips

staying strong for him

just like they promised.

taki stops.

if he doesn't suffer the flames

then

undoubtedly

his students will.

that

he cannot allow.

taki sighs

hanging limply in his ropes

and surrenders

because

he has a promise to keep.

so

he bows his head

as kerosene is poured over his body

and the near-empty bottle is shoved between his lips.

as the last drops trickle down his throat

he coughs and chokes on the fumes

crying in agony

and the spectators laugh mercilessly as he is humiliated on his own funeral pyre.

but

it doesn't matter what they do to him

because in the distance

with decades of life ahead of them

his students will be okay.

finally

the guards retreat

and the crowd screams in excitement

as the auditor steps forward.

when the lighter clicks

and the flame hovers inches from his heart

taki noboru draws his last breath

exhales calmly

and closes his eyes.


End file.
